Bank worker has just lectured me on my spending

Complain, it is not her place to tell you how to spend your money.

there is taking care and being over the top with questions and then telling you no, you coq't have the money to pay for the work to be done

I bypassed this last year

went to the cash point and took out £750 at a time and then gave the builder cash - he didn't ask for cash or particularly want cash (I made him wait whilst I counted it out in front of him, as then we both know I gave him the correct amount)

but after the first time of being questioned about paying another workman I now just take the cash out for several days in a row. The bank can't stop me and they don't know where it is going.

Yes there are problems with paying cash - but im not being told what I can or can't spend my fucking money

I have a new bathroom, its lovely and didn't pay until he job was finished, in fact the builder was away and busy and I was more eager to pay him than he seemed to be concerned

The thing is that if a person is scammed or has their card nicked and used, quite often the bank is required to reimburse the customer and loses the money themselves, even if they warned the customer.

No wonder the banks are going over the top to protect their money. Perhaps this would all stop if banks weren't made responsible for refunding the money that their customers have lost, would people prefer that?

I don’t think it does come across that way at all. I’ve spent £3k on various medical tests this month and nobody has called or blocked me and that’s very unusual for me.

There is no new over 60s rule.

I've been lectured in the actual ñbank before when I went in to put a cheque into my bank account, that I shouldn't have so much money in my account. I told the cashier she might be better focussing on customers who are overdrawn.

Not just that, but they argue when you try to get them to do something the GP or consultant had told you to do/get! Ie an appointment in x days/weeks time, or a blood test x-ray/scan appointment, or a prescription for something new. They just won’t accept you know what you’re doing and what you’re asking for and make all kinds of stupid suggestions.

DH has had cancer for 8 years so is a regular user of gp surgery, oncology dept, various x-ray and scanner units, diagnostic centres, pharmacies, etc. He had constant problems because the receptionists and appointment clerks constantly fob him off when he tries to organise things he’s been told to do by the oncologist, consultant, gp, etc. Often with the patronising “I know best” attitude, and they seldom even listen to what to tells them. He’s been doing it 8 years and knows their systems better than they do!

I once had a card stopped after making several small payments for sons for my iTunes - I doubt the total was more than £25. I was told that apparently when a card is stolen it's quite common to do something like that to test it out, which seemed reasonably credible to me.

Mind you, I was surprised when it was stopped another time after I paid for replacement tyres. I pointed out that if I'd nicked the card, surely I would have found something more exciting to spend my ill-gotten gains on.

Partly, yes, because a lot of people,especially elderly, are conned out of huge cash sums by dodgy “tradesmen” who’ve done shoddy work or no work at all - the common roof repair con! The con men love cash because there’s no evidence. Some also take cash for work they did do and then go back again a few days later claiming they hadn’t been paid - no evidence if in cash, so insist on being paid again!

Yes, to be triaged by a receptionist over the phone - none of my foreign friends believe me, they think I laugh at something that should never be laughed at.

I agree, add in gp and hospital receptionists who likewise often go beyond their remit to lecture patients when they’ve not a clue themselves!

This!!! What she’s done has actually breached law/regulations!

The worst time was when we sold our house but hadn't found one to buy so put the money in the Bank. When we found a new house went through the purchase with the solicitor. The problem came when getting the money out of the bank to the solicitor to complete. The Bank said that we could only transfer £10k a day which would have taken forever. We then got nowhere on the phone, went into the branch. No joy. It was only when we threatened to remove all the accounts, business and personal that they relented.

Yes, I would complain. I complained about Barclays years ago when they made me speak to them on the phone in a shop to buy a £20 slow cooker in a January sale. I had the money in my account. The reason for them stopping my card payment going through was that "I'd spent a lot of money in December." I wonder why that would be.

It happened to me in my sixties. A payment withheld to protect me because I was considered elderly and vulnerable. Was very embarrassed.

I got told off by my bank for donating about £5 a month to a reputable East European dog charity. I have the money.

There's a thread on X atm from a woman who was trying to pay a builder via her bank. He was a proper business that she'd used before. They blocked her account and insisted she go to her branch, 40 minutes away by car but a lot longer by public transport which she needed and she also has a health condition that restricts travel. She was speaking to to anyone she could repeatedly. She had replies questioning her mental capacity, his worth as a builder, why it cost so much. Poor woman was becoming frantic. She finally got through to a senior fraud officer who unblocked it immediately. No apologies.

That’s a bit bonkers IMO. I transfer internally on the app (NatWest) all the time without issues .. not tiny amounts, why yours flagged is very odd.

I'm assuming OP wants staff told not to patronize and lecture customers, so it doesn't happen to her again, more than she wants an individual worker disciplined for using one particular way to talk down to her.

Having worked in complaints (though not financial) my experience is - If you make your complaint about something regulatory or legal, that's what they will focus on to the exclusion of pretty much anything else. They are unlikely to address the not being a patronising git aspect of the complaint. Especially if, as you suggested, the main thrust of your complaint is the regulatory aspect. Yes she'll get dragged over the coals, possibly more severe. But it will be for suggesting OP's habits mirrored money laundering, not for lecturing OP. Better to focus on what OP is actually bothered about, and if they brush it off come back with - so it's okay to tip off customers who staff think might be money laundering?

I'm not sure that pointing out that the woman erred in two quite different ways is a dilution; I think it might be an addition.

I suppose it depends on how much OP wants the offender's head to be on a platter.

And if it really is a case of "it ain't what she said, it's the way how she said it" (which I think it seems to be; tone as much as content), having backup in the form of "and what she said was also dodgy" is not so much a case of subjective judgement and thus is not so easily brushed under the carpet or ignored.

@MrsCartwrigth ah, I see, that makes sense then, thanks!

I left my last bank (Natwest) because of this sort of rubbish. They had access to my accounts so surely can see I have money. It's a ridiculous attitude. Can say I've never had any issues with Revolut.

I think other bank workers judge Monzo unfairly as “not a proper bank” because all of their customer service support is online.

I am in the process of switching my main banking to Monzo as ironically I think their customer service and support is much better than Santander who said that about them.

I would Complain based on the fact she said that to you about the spending is not her place to do that